Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust

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Disappearing butterflies an environmental indicator

What’s happening to NZ’s butterflies?

New Zealand butterfly-lovers are worried – that they are seeing far less butterflies around.

Jacqui Knight of the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust says that people contact her every day, commenting on the shortage of butterflies.

“Some have returned from tramping in the bush, while others talk about their city gardens or large parks and wild spaces, all over the country.”

“Monarchs and Admirals, people tell me they just don’t see them any more,” said Knight from her Russell home. “The blues, that breed in clover, they’re much less common too.”

The apparent demise of butterflies indicates a shortage of insect life generally.

“But it’s hard to measure the other insects, as they are not as visible.”

Insects are critical to the environment.

“If there were no insects, many plants would be unable to make seeds and would die out,” said Jacqui, who has been studying the Monarch butterfly for over thirty years.

“Fruit and vegetable plants depend on insects to spread their pollen – without them we would lose about one third of our food. Insects spread pollen, kill pests, clear away waste and improve our soil.”

“They do a lot of work in Nature’s background that we don’t imagine.”

Scientists support the notion that our impact on the environment – global warming, pesticide use and development – is having an adverse effect on insect life.

South Island lepidopterist Brian Patrick talks of a tiny purple copper butterfly which now exists only in one coastal car park.

“It’s teetering on the edge of survival,” he said.

“The plight of our butterfly fauna is heavily dependant on human respect if they are to survive and thrive. Several butterflies are threatened with extinction even before they are described.”

Many people ‘adopt’ Monarchs and encourage them, but concerns are rife for NZ’s endemic butterflies such as the Admiral.

“In 1989 these were common all over New Zealand – but now you ask people how long since they’ve seen an Admiral – yellow or red – and they reply, ‘What’s an Admiral?’.”

Of all the Admirals worldwide, at least one lepidopterist describes NZ’s Red Admiral, Kahukura, as being the most beautiful.

“It would be a tragedy if we added it to the ‘extinct’ list.”

Knight believes that their host plant – stinging nettle – is no longer popular as a vegetable, and people see it as a pest, and eliminate it from all corners of their property.

“We have rolled our butterfly fauna back to the mountains and far-flung places,” said Brian Patrick. “So that now many once familiar species are no longer found in cities, towns or the surrounding countryside.”

“Sadly, young New Zealanders are no longer aware of our commonest butterflies because of the elimination of them from our cities, towns and countryside.”

Because there are no formal statistics as such as to the distribution of NZ butterflies, the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust is encouraging New Zealanders to get involved in science this season.

“We’re asking people to report what butterflies they see on our website,” said Knight. “And we have people all over NZ tagging Monarch butterflies so we can learn more about their migration and habits.”

More information can be found on the website, www.monarch.org.nz or by email to gw@monarch.org.nz.

ENDS

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